Trucks and trade

Congress is trying to detour a pilot program to allow cross-border trucking with Mexico. The move to cut off funding for the program is not just needless obstructionism, but blatant protectionism that clearly violates the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Congress should put the brakes on this idea. We risk an escalating trade war that will increase costs for U.S. consumers.

President Bush inaugurated the truck pilot program last month. The arrangement allows up to 100 U.S. trucking companies to operate in Mexico and 100 Mexican companies to operate in the United States. So far, three Mexican companies are authorized to truck to the United States, and two U.S. companies can operate in Mexico.

The House and Senate, however, have voted to defund the program as part of a mammoth transportation bill. U.S. Reps. Vernon Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids, and Peter Hoekstra, R-Holland, both voted to end funding. So did Sens. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, and Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing.